In The News

In the heat of battle, it’s easy to forget that 100 percent of your sales success depends on your dealers’ ability to sell your products. Andrew Larson, CEO and chairman, Gustave. A. Larson Co. said, “We don’t sell anything, our customers do, so our focus is on helping maximize their success at all times.” UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE SALES Territory managers are the point of the spear; they’re the men and women who influence a manufacturer’s sales the most. The following five questions can help you and your dealers design a plan to increase sales, margins, and market share.

Business value is determined by profits. Here are five things you can do to grow your company’s value by boosting your profits, starting today. RAISE PRICES The price your customers are willing to pay is determined by the benefits you provide. Logical benefits, such as increased reliability, even temperature, and energy savings, open the sale; emotional benefits like trust and peace of mind close it. The more you differentiate your company with benefits your competition can’t offer, the more you’re allowed to raise your price. The two most important ingredients in the profit improvement formula are your people and their…

How to Make Referrals Your #1 Source for New Customers Referrals from delighted customers have always been the least costly and most effective way to acquire new customers. Here’s why referrals are more influential and persuasive than all other forms of advertising. Referrals make buying safer Referrals are built on trust Referrals are driven by emotions Referrals allow questions and two-way feedback Referrers let buyers know what to expect Referrals save time doing research Referrals cut through advertising noise and hype Referrals have an enormous influence what is purchased and how much is spent Here are seven things you can…

The biggest problem facing HVAC/R contractors, manufacturers and distributors is the growing shortage of service technicians. Service techs are the point of the spear; the men and women who deal directly with business managers and homeowners. The people everyone expects to quickly find and repair all types of comfort related problems. Because service techs usually run several trouble calls every day they have a huge influence on client satisfaction, social media referrals and on-line reputation of both contractors and manufacturers. According to the latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics there were 332,900 HVAC/R (mechanics) service technicians and…

Don’t just sell great equipment and parts, sell increased cash flow, profit improvement, and personal relationships When it comes to buying HVAC parts and supplies, your customers have a growing list of options. On-line retailers like Wal-Mart, Amazon and E-Bay are trying hard to take your parts business. The key to eliminating on-line competition is helping your customers see the dollars-and-cents benefits of being loyal to you. Higher profits It usually takes an hour or more for a technician to leave the job and chase a needed part. If your customized truck stocking program…

The biggest objection commercial HVAC sales consultants hear is; “We don’t have the money to the replace HVAC equipment.” Thanks to recent tax law changes, profitable commercial businesses now have the financial ability to pay you to swap worn out HVAC equipment for better comfort, greater reliability and lower energy bills. In 2017 your commercial clients paid about $35,000 in taxes for every $100,000 in net profit. In 2018 their tax rate drops to $21,000 for corporation taxed separately from the owners and $20,000 for passthrough corporations like most HVAC businesses. In 2018 the tax saving for a company earning…

Retailers like Apple have raised the bar on what customers expect. Here’s how to exceed their expectations. By Gary Thill Is your showroom up to snuff for today’s tech savvy millennials? If you haven’t updated in the last five or 10 years, the answer to that question is probably no — and that means you’re missing out on a key sales tool, experts say. “Showrooms give the ability to touch, feel, and experience it,” said James Mueller, president of No Pressure Selling, a contractor-focused consultancy. “It used to be if you were a contractor, customers didn’t expect that much from…